Supporters of California Republican gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman react as they follow election results on a giant screen with there candidate trailing in the governor's race during a campaign party in Universal City, California. Former eBay CEO and Republican candidate Meg Whitman is running against California Attorney General and Democratic candidate Jerry Brown for the Governor's seat while U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is in a tight race against Republican senatorial candidate and former head of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina. Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

(UPDATES with latest vote count in state and Orange County, quotes from Whitman's concession speech.)

California voters chose a seasoned veteran over a rich rookie, handing Democrat Jerry Brown a second stint in the governor's office and turning away billionaire Meg Whitman, who spent $142 million of her own fortune fueling the most expensive race in California history.

With 96.9 percent of precincts reporting as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Brown had won the race with 3,942,019 votes, or 53.8 percent; Whitman had 3,015,066 votes, or 41.2 percent.

Orange County bucked the trend, with 57.8 percent of voters choosing Whitman, compared with 36.7 percent for Brown.

Brown, 72, is the oldest man elected to the executive office on a list that includes his father and Brown himself, who was the second-youngest governor when he was first elected in 1974.

He inherits a state with a host of troubles, including a double-digit unemployment rate, a cynical citizenry, and partisan gridlock in Sacramento.

Meeting with supporters in a refurbished theater in Oakland late Tuesday night, Brown claimed victory, saying he still had a "missionary zeal to transform the world" and that he would work on public education and renewable energy.

With a nod to the divisiveness of the voting, Brown said he will take as his challenge "forging a common purpose."

"The breakdown paves the way for a breakthrough," he said. "That's the spirit I want to take back to Sacramento."

Whitman later conceded the race, saying: "It is time now for Californians to unite behind the common cause of turning around this state that we love," according to published reports. She said she had called Brown to wish him well, and added: "It is time now for Californians to unite behind the common cause of turning around this state that we love," she said.

"In many ways, this election was much bigger than Governor Brown or me. It was about the struggles and dreams of millions of Californians," Whitman added. "Our challenges are daunting and they won't be solved by politics as usual. But we do need leaders in Sacramento to rise to the occasion and work together."

With a string of negative stories, including a failure to vote for 28 years, Whitman faced serious challenges from the get-go, even while outspending Brown $6 to $1. Brown countered with union-financed advertising that painted Whitman as a Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger clone with an inability to do the daily, gritty job of governing.

"Polling showed voters want an insider to take care of problems as opposed to another outsider," said Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, "so she's suffering from the wasted years of Arnold, who was an outsider and accomplished not one thing of significance."

Even without the expensive final weeks reported, Whitman had spent $163 million, according to the California Secretary of State. But spending for Brown also contributed to a new record, with independent groups expending $31.7 million on the governor's race, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission. About $25 million of that was spent by organizations backing Brown.

Nick Berardino, general manager of the Orange County Employees Association, said Brown will take on California's economic problems.

"He has the experience and the know-how and political acumen like no other," Berardino said. "He'll govern out of experience and institutional knowledge."

With polls nearing Election Day showing Brown with a double-digit lead, most voters said they'd rather not vote for either candidate.

Some 55 percent in an October poll by the Public Policy Institute said they were dissatisfied with their choice for governor. Coupled with other negatives – 87 percent said California is still in a recession and 79 percent reported distrust in state government -- the new executive will be inheriting an apathetic citizenry pessimistic about the future.

Whitman switched course in the final days of the campaign. Instead of talking about job creation and school funding, two of her major themes throughout the race, Whitman told audiences that she was a victim of attacks by Brown.

"I have been called a liar, I've been called a whore and I've been called a Nazi by his campaign," Whitman said last week during a morning show appearance on Fox News Channel.

To the end of the campaign, Whitman couldn't stop the national spread of the reports on her former housekeeper, who was in the U.S. illegally while working for Whitman. The story broke in September and painted Whitman, who had taken a tough stance on employers who hire undocumented workers, as hypocritical. Last week Whitman told Fox News that the housekeeper, Nicky Diaz Santillan, should be deported.

Whitman blamed Brown for the housekeeper controversy, along with Gloria Allred, the high-profile attorney who represented Santillan, and accused them of running a "massive smear campaign" against her. Brown's campaign denied knowledge of the undocumented housekeeper when the story broke, but Brown blasted Whitman during an October debate, saying her bungled handling of the story showed she was unqualified to be governor.

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